McConnell lashed out at the group Progress Kentucky after the release of a recording from a Feb. 2 meeting between the senator and his aides in which they debate the merits of attacking actress Ashley Judds mental health, views on religion and attitudes about family. As I indicated, last month they were attacking my wifes ethnicity, and apparently also bugging my headquarters, much like Nixon and Watergate, McConnell said to reporters on Tuesday. Thats what the political left does these days.

McConnell had sparred in February with the group when one of its tweets suggested the senator supported sending jobs to China because he is married to Elaine Chao, a former Bush administration Labor secretary, who was born in Taiwan. McConnell and Democrats alike denounced the tweet as racist and inappropriate, and the group eventually apologized. Progress Kentuckys executive director, Shawn Reilly, did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

McConnells campaign has asked the FBI to investigate the recording, which was leaked to Mother Jones. In it, McConnell aides describe Judd as emotionally unbalanced and talk about highlighting her personal history of depression in a potential Senate campaign. Judd had been considering a 2014 bid against the Senate minority leader but opted against running last month. This is yet another example of the politics of personal destruction that embody Mitch McConnell and are pervasive in Washington, D.C., a spokesman for Judd said Tuesday. We expected nothing less from Mitch McConnell and his camp than to take a personal struggle such as depression ... and turn it into a laughing matter.

McConnell did not respond to repeated questions about whether it was appropriate to attack a candidates mental health or religion. He appeared testy when responding to reporters on Capitol Hill, repeating his accusation that Progress Kentucky was responsible. Senator McConnells campaign is working with the FBI and has notified the local U.S. Attorney in Louisville, per FBI request, about these recordings, McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton said in a statement. Obviously a recording device of some kind was placed in Senator McConnells campaign office without consent. By whom and how that was accomplished presumably will be the subject of a criminal investigation.

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